Nagoya has the nickname of the Boring City in Japan. According to Lonely Planet, Nagoya is not as glam as Tokyo, and not as cultured as Osaka. But we truly enjoyed visiting (and pigging out) this city. We ate great foods all day, and in addition, we visited Atsuta Jingu, Science Museum, Nagoya Castle, and other popular tourist spots. Three days and two nights in Nagoya is perfect!

Accommodation

JAL Nagoya

Great location, close to the train station and has convenient stores nearby. Interior is very modern, and the price is budget-friendly.

Sightseeing List

Atsuta Jingu: Houses the Sacred Sword, one of three Sacred Treasures of Japan, the other two are the Sacred Mirror at Ise Jingu, and the Sacred Jewel at Tokyo Imperial Palace. But don’t expect to actually see the Sacred Sword, because just like the Sacred Mirror, it is guarded and hidden from public view.
Nagoya Castle: You can take pictures with real life ninja here! Currently still under renovation, and therefore you can’t enter the actual castle, but can tour the castle grounds and an ancient royal residence next to the castle.
Nagoya City Science Museum: Houses the world’s largest planetarium. I thought they would project a recorded video, but there’s actually a live presenter explaining in detail the constellations and the mysteries of the sky. The narration is only in Japanese, but they have a very comfy chair!

Restaurant List

Coffee shop Kako: French toast with a smear of butter and a thick layer of red bean paste, this is a delicacy that traces its roots to Nagoya! This restaurant serves Japanese style American foods. Cozy and cute, cannot seat many customers, but they also have a separate larger dining area.

Xi An Hand Cut Noodle: Recommended by the cleaning lady at our hotel. Definitely satisfied our craving for authentic Chinese food!
Misokatsu Yabaton: A must eat when you visit Nagoya. Known for their red miso tonkatsu, the line is lone even in the midst of a pandemic.
Hyakka Chaso: I haven’t had such delicious touhua in so long! This Taiwanese treat takes me back to my home! So good we went a second time before leaving Nagoya!
Early Bird Breakfast: Hearty American brekkie with Japanese touch. Space is small, and has a Brooklyn vibe.
Atsuta Horaiken: Here you can have Unagi three ways (original, with condiments, and ochazuke). My hairstylist said it’s a must eat when visiting Nagoya. Besides Unagi rice, we ordered grilled unagi liver, and unagi bone.
Syokukan: Specialty spicy hotpot! My favorite type of meal!
The Cups: cute little coffee shop, serves breakfast and smoothies!
HARBS: I frequented their store in New York City. Accidentally discovered that the original store is in Nagoya. In order to fit Harbs and Misen into our schedule before our flight, the four of us were on a mission! We placed our orders as soon as we were seated, and strategically rotated cakes every three minutes so we got to try all four. We cleared our plates within 15 minutes. One person was in charge of paying, one person was in charge of calling an Uber, one person made sure we didn’t leave anything behind, and the other person communicated with our driver. We executed our plan to the T, and did not waste any time. Probably the quickest turnover Harbs has ever seen. So proud of ourselves!
Misen: there are many restaurants by the same name (franchise?), but this is the one that you must come to, even the locals recommend this place! Upon entering, you are greeted by the fumes from the open kitchen. The food is very tasty, it kinda reminds me of Taiwanese stir-fry restaurants. I didn’t want to come in the beginning, but am glad many locals sang praises about this place! Taiwanese spicy noodle is true to its namesake, very spicy!

Even though nicknamed the Boring City in Japan, the four of us had a lot of unforgettable fun memories here! Would definitely visit again (especially for the food)! Plan a food crawl in Nagoya and you won’t find it boring at all!

Chinese Translation

被列為日本最無聊的城市，Lonely Planet說這裡不像東京繁華，也不像大阪有濃厚文藝氣息，但我們卻把這玩（吃）的不亦樂乎！從早吃到晚，幾乎沒踩雷。除了一路吃到底，我們還參觀熱田神社、科學館、名古屋城和幾個有名的地標作為消化行程。三天兩夜的名古屋行恰恰好，我們每分每秒都不浪費！

住宿清單

JAL Nagoya

位置很方便，附近有便利商店和車站。整體設備非常非常新，價錢也很親民。

景點清單

熱田神宮：日本三大神器，鏡子（伊勢神宮）、劍（熱田神宮）、和玉（東京皇居），但和之前去的伊勢神宮一樣，神器都藏在神宮裡，我們只能想像了。

名古屋城：能和忍者照相耶！目前名古屋城正在維修中，不對外開放。只好繼續吃！
名古屋市科學館：有全世界最大的星象儀，原以為只是播放影片，沒想到解說員非常仔細解釋。雖然只有日文解說，但配上影像似乎能懂一些。順帶一提那椅子非常舒服！

食物清單

Coffee Shop Kako：：抹上奶油和厚厚一層紅豆泥，這是名古屋有名的小倉吐司吃法！本店是家帶著日式美國風格，小小一家餐廳，非常可愛。我們則是在約兩條街旁的副店用餐。
西安刀削麵：飯店打掃中國阿姨推薦，簡直滿足我們在沖繩吃不到中國食物的慾望！
Misokatsu Yabaton：來名古屋必吃的紅味增豬排，連疫情之下還是人潮滿滿。
百花茶莊：好久沒吃到這麼好吃的豆花了！我們離開名古屋之前還特別來一趟呢！
Early Bird Breakfast：美式早餐混了一點日式風格，店面不大，滿滿布魯克林風。
蓬莱軒：有名的鰻魚飯三吃（原味、配料、茶泡飯），連我在沖繩髮型師都推薦。除了點鰻魚飯，我們還點了鰻魚肝（我的愛）和鰻魚骨頭。
蜀漢：專賣麻辣火鍋，真的是到處都要吃鍋！
The Cups：可愛咖啡店，提供早餐和蔬果汁！
HARBS：以前在紐約很常買的蛋糕店，研究名古屋行程時才知道原來第一家店在名古屋。為了坐飛機前能吃到Harbs（前一天賣光了）和味仙，我們四人合作無間！全程以快速度進行，開店後馬上入座，點甜點時沒有一絲猶豫。我們最厲害的是蛋糕一上來擺滿桌子，我們順著節奏吃蛋糕，每3分鐘立刻拿起蛋糕傳給下一個人。評比時，兩對情侶很有默契的各選了自己喜歡的蛋糕，把桌上清的不留痕跡。同時，有人付錢、叫車、確認我們沒落東西、和司機溝通。每個動作都非常精闢，不拖泥帶水，太佩服我們自己了！
Misen：雖然有許多分店，但你們只能來這家吃，連當地人都堅持只來這家！雖然進去時煙霧瀰漫，但食物非常好吃，很像台灣熱炒店！本來不打算去，但吃完後慶幸遇到當地人推薦！台灣辣辣麵就像名字一樣，非常辣！